"On April 13, 2013 at approximately 10:12 a.m., an employee of Gogebic Taconite notified law enforcement of a backpack that was wedged between the front wall of their office building and a newspaper vending machine.

Due to the controversy between pro-mining advocates and environmental groups opposed; and due to Congressman Duffy’s scheduled Town Hall Meeting that was to be held at a nearby restaurant, the backpack was deemed a “suspicious item” and a cordon was established by police and fire units.

The Marathon/Oneida County Bomb Squad was called and responded to the scene at approximately 2:45 p.m. The backpack was x-rayed and the team saw nothing that indicated an explosive device.

The backpack was opened and no explosives were found inside. The backpack and all contents were turned over to the Hurley Police Department for further investigation.

The name of an Ironwood, Michigan man was found on documents that were inside the backpack. This man was questioned by police and he admitted to owning the backpack and leaving it in Hurley the night before.

He stated he was very intoxicated and could not remember where he left it and when he went to retrieve it on Saturday morning, he could not find it. He also stated he did not notify the police because the backpack contained a small quantity of illegal drugs.